Convincing your parents to let you join a sorority can be an uphill battle, particularly if they were not part of Greek life themselves. With all the negative news stories and misinformation out there, it’s easy to see why Mom and Dad may not think joining a Greek organization is a good idea. We have some tried and true explanations you can give your parents when you try to convince them to let you go Greek AND foot the bill, though. Some are true and some are little stretches of the truth, but they all work.

1. I swear it’s not like what you see in the movies. Really, it isn’t. I promise. You’ll see.
2. College graduation rates are 20 percent higher among Greeks as opposed to non-Greeks. Isn’t anything that increases my odds of graduation a good idea?
3. If I join and I live in the house, it won’t be coed like the dorms. There are even hours that boys aren’t allowed in the house. (This one works on dads every. single. time.)
4. The first female senator was a sorority woman.
5. So was the first female astronaut.
6. Oh, and Condoleezza Rice is a sorority woman, too. If being in a sorority was good enough for a former secretary of state, it’s good enough for me.
7. Mariska Hargitay, Erin Andrews, Nancy Grace, Jennifer Garner, Kathy Bates, Katie Couric, Carrie Underwood, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patricia Heaton, Kristin Chenoweth, Hoda Kotb, Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Sheryl Crow, Bette Midler, Laura Bush, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sara Blakely, Barbara Bush, Senator Barbara Boxer, and former Senators Elizabeth Dole and Kay Bailey Hutchison are all sorority women. They seemed to turn out okay.
8. Sororities have a minimum GPA to join and stay a member. I assume you are in favor of me maintaining a minimum GPA?
9. Living in the house and paying dues will be cheaper than living in the dorm on a meal plan.
10. Sororities offer awesome networking opportunities after I graduate, so it will definitely help me find a job after college. Finding a job means I won’t have to move home with you after graduation.
11. Not to mention, 85 percent of key executives at Fortune 500 firms were part of Greek life when they were in college. Maybe I can get a job at one of their companies.
12. Sorority houses are dry. No drinking at all in there, I promise.
13. The majority of the student leaders on campuses that have Greek systems are fraternity and sorority members. If I want to be a leader, I should go Greek.
14. Most sororities have foundations that offer scholarships to their members for both undergraduate and graduate education. Maybe I could get one of those.
15. There’s usually a Moms’ Weekend and a Dads’ Weekend. How fun is THAT?
16. Sorority houses have house moms, and they provide way more supervision than RAs do.
17. The Greek system is one of the largest networks of volunteers in the U.S., with fraternity and sorority members donating thousands of volunteer hours to their communities every year. Isn’t giving back important?
18. It’s cheesy, but a sorority–even one without a house–will give me a home away from home when I’m at school.
19. According to the U.S. Department of Education, less than 2 percent of an average college student’s expenses go toward sorority dues. Isn’t all of that worth a measly 2 percent?

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Jenna Crowley

Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, and documenting her love of all things cheese related. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.

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